Must Have Items...

[R9SCarry]

Excellent Shelby - thx for your trouble.

The only aspect that I have any concerns over really is the portion that acts as the ''hold-open'' spacer between slide and barrel (well and similarly perhaps the exact location of the pin access hole).  I am expecting by default that with the nature of the engineering tolerances being good and tight - that dimensions will be consistent gun to gun.

However - knowing how ''just so'' the slide hole for pin removal has to be re it's positioning for takedown .. I wonder if one dimension will guarantee to cut it for one and all.  It should but ....

I may have missed but - what material do you envisage here?  It will IMO need to be pretty tough but softer of course than gun materials ... maybe still a mould for an HD polyethylene piece?  Or might that ''dent'' - deform .... too much over time to hold the 5.1mm dimension.  I haven't BTW checked mine again yet re that dimension, but sounds right from memory.

Thinking too - this piece if made mass produced must be cheap to make ... and tho it'd be OK once programed for CNC .... set up would take a while.  Again then material choice.  Even mild steel would be too hard to avoid damaging gun finish.

Brass is good for safety but ... again cost factors to machine.

What other plastics could we consider.?  HD polyvinylchloride?  Not perhaps hard enough.  Acrylic?  Possible perhaps.  Other polymers out there too of course .... a case of matching suitable material to function - cost - production method - and longevity of service.

Further thoughts?

[shelb]

Good points
Not sure on the tolerance deviation for the slide and pin.  Worst case scenario, adding a drafted feature on the slide-stop spacer and ovalizing the pin hole would probably account for any small deviations.

As for material.....definitely molded plastic.  I would have to research that one a bit to contribute an intelligent opinion.

For prototypiong purposes however, I was considering making a few SLA models.  I could possibly get a small batch injection molded (uses a rubber mold) from the SLA models if is enough interest to justify the costs.  We have some parts here in our lab produced in this fashion from a nylon-like plastic that I think would be durable enough.

[R9SCarry]

Seen This site Shelby?  Made me think re getting something made up - tho costly on one of basis.  All my lathe work here is simple hands on stuff - no CNC!

[shelb]

Wow, that site is great!  For the small runs of 10 or 20, they might very well be the way to go.

We have lots of prototyping facilities here, but some of them are costly to use (like rapid prototype SLA models).  Some of them aren't as costly (CNC, EDM, etc) if I take the time to setup and use them, but alas, the spare time is tough to find while I in a rush to finish my thesis.  

I hope to make a prototype here just to test funtionality.  Once I am confident I have a durable part that will work in all cases, I may contact the emachines site for a quote for 10 or 20 if there is interest in doing so.

[Brenden]

shelb,

Please count me in for one or two if you can do this..

Thanks everyone for all the great info..

Brenden

[rtw]

Shelb,

Add me to the list, please. Thanks Dick

[tingmisun]

Please add me to the list also.

Thanks

[Richard S]

Shelb:

I'll take two.  One to use and one to keep as a spare.  Send me a PM on the Forum as to how much they cost and where to send the check.

(As an old History/English major who somehow managed to defy the odds and make a very good living practicing law, you Engineering/Mathematics types never cease to impress me.)

RS

[Mr_Jody_Hudson]

yes for me as well!

[shelb]

Alright....the first prototype.  The molded part would be black.



I have spoken with a bunch of people to investigate a small batch production of such an item.  So far it is looking to be kind of costly - 25 to 30 bucks a part.  I am looking into the possiblity of molding them myself using a simlar method, which would lower the cost significantly.....but that is a decent project to take on and would have to wait until this monkey called a thesis is off my back in a couple months.

More to come......

[RJ HEDLEY]

Now, THAT is outstanding !

[sbrenner]

I Just read the Sept/Oct issue of The American Handgunner.

For once it was not a 1911 on the cover.

Yes, It was our R-9s.

I read the story.

And it looked good.

Better than gun tests lie report.

Now I think I can wait another 2 months till I get mine.

Gold Dots HP's 124 gr. gave 2 1/2" at 25 yards.

Better than some larger duty pistols.

They say with the accuracy of this pistol please
order with sights.

Roy Huntington, "I like this pistol LOTS".

Now I can relax and not think I made an another life time

mistake.

I noticed it is just a little larger than a Seecamp .32.

I had one and did not keep it.

I am a larger caliber person.

I like: 9mm, .40 s&w only because it is my duty caliber  and I

must have it.

The new .45 GAP.

I purchase one gun rag per year and this one article was

worth it.

May even purchase a second one if it is about the P-9s.

Nice pictures.

Waiting for mine and can not think of anything else.

Steve

[R9SCarry]

Shelby - the proto' looks excellent!

[Richard S]

Shelby:

Great photograph.  Great prototype.  As I said before, I'll take two.  

RS

[DDGator]

Shelb...   Having a hobby is a great break from thesis writing...  

Or -- you work on the parts, I will help write the thesis!